Method and apparatus for bulking yarn



April 8, 1958 E. GRISET, JR 2,829,420

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BULKING YARN I Original Filed May 12, 1953 IIIIIIIIA IIIIIIIII IIII'I'I'," 2

U 6 INVENTOR flms'lefdnkecfi'.

ATTORNEY METHOD APPARATUSFOR BULKING YARN Ernest J. Griset, Jr., Asheville, N. C., assignor to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N. C., a corporation of Delaware Division of application Serial No. 354,503, May 12, 1953. This application December 16, 1954, Sena] No. 475,722

5 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This application is.a division of my copending application Serial No. 354F503, filed May 12, 1953, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my Patent No. 2,66l,5 88.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of yarn and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for producing curled or bulked yarn.-

In the above mentioned patent there is disclosed an improved suction-type thread collection device which according to my said continuation-in-part application may be utilized to impart a curliness or bulkiness to a continuous strand of twisted yarn.

While it is not known exactly what influence the air jet has on the physiochemical properties to produce the peculiar curls and increased bulk in the yarn, the phenomenon does occur. The resulting product is commercially satisfactory, i. e., the curls are sufficiently set in place to resist pulling out during subsequent textile operations, even though the yarn is taken up on a collecting device such as a bobbin shown in my continuation-inpart application without increasingthe twist. It may be that the curls are set in the yarn due to the manner in which the yarn is introduced into the air stream, namely, at an angle to the air which is passing in a straight line direction through the jet. While this theory is borne out in the practice of this invention, it should not be considered as restrictive in any sense because other factors probably also have an influence on the formation of the curls in the yarn.

In my said prior application, it was also disclosed that the system can be applied to untwisted yarn and although the curls'may not be so permanent, it was pointed out that a quick drying soluble lacquer maybe sprayed on the yarn at'any suitable point in the yarn travel as this is helpful in holding the curls in place during process ing. 7

The operation of the present invention will be apparent' from the following detailed description when conair passing through the device. Preferably, the direction of travel is changed by disposing a baflie member opposite the nozzle of the suction device and causing the yarn to impinge thereon. The yarn is then collected in package form on any suitable take-up;

By controlling the respective rates at which the yarn is fed to and withdrawn from the suction device a most unusual effect is obtained. The yarn treated according to the present invention is characterized by having a pronounced curliness and bulkiness throughout the continuous strand. It thus has properties in common with spun yarn I and, in fact, a fabric woven with the present type yarn used as a filling has the same bulkiness and soft feel as a fabric woven from spunyarn.

Referring now to'Figure 1, the numeral 10 designates a source of supply for a continuously running yarn 11. The yarn is passed through guide 12 and introduced into the low pressure area of a suction type thread collecting device 13. Further details of the device 13 will be obvious from the discussion of Figure 3 below. Air or other gas from any suitable source is introduced into the device 13 through tube 14; The yarn 11 is caught in the jet of gas and propelled through tube 15 of suction device 13.

A flat impervious baflie plate 16 mounted by means not shown is disposed a short distance away from the end of the tube-15: It will be noted that the baflle 16 is inclined at an angle with respect 'to a perpendicular to the tube 15. With this arrangement, theyarn is discharged from the end of the tube 15 and into contact with the baflle 16 where itc ontinues to be subjected to a turbulence due to'the blast of air. The yarn 11 is then withdrawn via thread guides 17 and 18 to take-up 19 without increasing the twist, i. e., the yarn is wound by take-up 19 at a rate of speed that is independent of, and does not affect, the amount of twist in the yarn. It is important that the take-up19 withdraw the yarn 11 from the vicinity of the baifie 16 at a'much slower speed than it is fed to the suction-device'13. In other words, it is necessary that a certain amount ofslack accumulate in the yarn in the vicinity of the deflector plate and during sidered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings I wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective of another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the central axis of the thread'collection device and illustrates a third embodimentof the present invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus for practicing the present invention'which utilizes a special yarn feed mechanism; and

Figure 5 is a schematic drawing in elevation of the yarn feed mechanism in Figure 4. p

In general, the desired properties are introduced into the yarn in the present invention by passing the continuously running yarn into and through the suction device and by changing the direction of'travel of the yarn after it emerges from thenozzle of thesuctiondevice and'while itis still under the influence of the stream" of the time that it is under the influence of the blast of air.

The yarn collected on the take-up 19 has properties completely different from those possessed by the yarn supplied tothe suction device 13. For example, a 450/ viscose rayon filament yarncontaining a twist of 3 T. P. I. after being subjected to the foregoing process is,

transformed from a smooth constant denier yarn into a yarn having the general appearance and feel of spun yarn. The described process does not actually sever individual filaments of yarn. Instead, the blast of air acts with varying severity on the various filaments with the result that numerous small curls are introduced and set throughout the lengthof the yarn. Cloth woven using yarn so treatedas filling was found to have a bulky appearance with a fuzzy or loopy surface.

In Figure 2, the member 13 is provided with a thread guide 26 mounted on the bottom side thereof. The yarn 11 to be treated is introduced into the tube 15 and expelled therefrom by means of a stream of air entering at 14. Upon emerging from tube 15 the direction of travel of the yarn 11 is changed by passing it through thread guide 26 and to a suitable winder take-up. As previously explained, the yarn is withdrawn by the winder take-up considerably slower than it is supplied to the suction device 13. Thus, the yarn between the exit end of tube 15 j and guide 26 has a certain amount of slack in it. It is, of'course, not necessary that thread guide 26 be'attached directly to suction device 13. Any suitable means for supporting thread guide 26 may be used its principal function being'to change the direction of travel of the yarn as it emerges from the tube 15.

Figure 3 shows the details of the thread suction device bore 29'extends'tothe. tiprp'ortion' of the jet. The twoborea ssemblyis held inplace in housing by means provided internallywithtwo bores of of a threaded sectionon the exterior of the jet 21 in aradial-planecoinciding with a part of the'length of large bore 25.

Air from any suitable source is connected at 34 to the largeboreend of jet 21. Theairemerges from the tip of jet 21 at a highvelocity, entersydischarge tube. 22 and finally is emitted to the atmosphere. The high velocity stream of airlcreates a reduced pressure zone in the notch formed by the shoulders 23 and 24 with the result that any yarn placed inthe wedge-shaped portion is immediately conveyed into the stream of high velocity air and propelled into the tube 22.

In Figure 3, a sphere 33, disposed opposite the exit end of tube 22, serves as the deflecting means for the air and yarn. As in the foregoing embodiments, it isnecessary that the yarn be withdrawn from the vicinity of sphere 33 at a rate considerably less than that at which it is supplied to the suction device 13.

, Figures 4 and Sillustrate one means of controlling the rate at which the yarn is fed, to the suction device and withdrawn therefrom. Yarn 40 is withdrawn from a source 41 by means of feed roll 42 and supplied to suction device 43 at a rate depending on the speed of rotation of roll 42. Upon emerging from tube 44, the yarn 40 strikes deflector plate 45 where the path of The larger bore 25 extendsfrom the i travel is directionally changed and it is then led by way of guides 46, 47. and 48 to a winder take-up .49 without increasing the twist. Shaft 52 of take-up 49, rotatably mounted in housing 53, is driven by any suitable means (not shown).

It will be seen from Figure 5 that freely rotatable roller lies in contact with the rotating .takeeup '49 and is surface driven by the take-up, 49 or the package carried thereon. Feed roll 42 is about 25% larger. in diameter than the average diameter of roller 50 and is driven by roller 50 to which it is connected. Roller 50. is rotatably mounted on movable arm 51 for sliding movement up anddown, depending on the size of the. package carried on the take-up 49. In view of'the size of feed roll 42, theyarn 40 will always be supplied to the suction device 43 at a rate about 25% faster than it is withdrawn by the take-up 49. As the package builds up on the take-up '49 and the peripheral speed of roller 50 increases, the speed of feed roll 42 increases at an identical rate.

It will be seen that the apparatus disclosed in Figures 4 and 5 not only controls the rate at which the yarn is supplied to the suction device and withdrawn there from but also automatically compensates for the change in thetake-up speed as the take-up package increases in size. By the use of this apparatus a substantially uniform curl or bulkiness is given'to the yarn throughout the entire package. s

Best results are obtained in practicing the present invention if the yarn is supplied to the suctiondevice betweenabout 5% and 40% faster than it is withdrawn therefrom, depending on the size of the yarn being treated and therate of,feed. For example, a verysatisfactory curl is obtainedwith 600/120 viscose rayon yarn if it is supplied to the suction device between about 8 and 34% 'faster thanit"is withdrawn therefrom.""With 450/ viscose rayon, a satisfactory range is between 7% and 30%. Good results are obtained by taking the yarn up at a rate of about meters per minute. The present invention may be used to curl either twisted or untwisted 'yarn. If desired, a quick 'drying soluble lacquer may be sprayed onto the yarn either before it enters the air stream, during the time it is in the air streamer after it leaves the air stream. This is bYfl'lQImC HHS essential, but it is helpful as it tends to hold the curls in place during processing. After the yarn is woven, the lacquer maybe removed by washing. x

It is to be understood that the scopelofqthe invention is only to be limited by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A method of bulking continuous filament yarn'which has. been initially twisted several turns per inchcomprising jgiropellingjthe twisted yarn bfy a high velocity gas stream through a confined zoneunder conditions such that the filamentsthereof are separated and whipped about sufficiently to form convolutions therein, changing the direction of theyarn after it leaves the confined zone and collecting the'same in orderly form on a take-up device -that imparts no additional twist, and during the said'collection, winding the yarn at a rate of speed that is independent of the. final twist therein.

2. A method of bulking continuous filament yarn which has been initially twisted several turns per inch comprisingpropelling the twisted yarn by-a high velocity gas istrearn through a confined zone underconditions such that the filaments thereof are separated and whipped about sufliciently to form convolutions in the twisted yarn, changing the direction of travel of the yarn after it leaves the confined zone and collecting the same in orderly iorm'on a take-up device that imparts no additional'twist,

and during the said collection, winding the yarn at a rate of speedthat is independent of the final twist therein, said yarn being introduced into the confined zone, at a linear speed at least 5% greater than the linear speed at which it is collected on said take-up device. 7

3. Apparatus for producing yarn of increased bulkhaving convolutions spaced at intervals along the length or the yarn which comprises a sourceof yarn having a twist of several turns perinch therein, an air jet,,a winder type collecting device, means to pass "the twisted yarn linearly to, the'a'ir jet pneu'matic means to imping elair currents-on the yarn during passage through meter, and means to withdraw the yarn from the jetat a lower linear speed than the input speed, said winder device being capable of collecting the bulked yarn at'a speed independent of the final twist therein, and without imparting additional twist in the yarn.

jet,.said winder device being capable of collecting the bulked yarn at a speed independent of the final twist therein and without imparting additional twist in the yarn. 5. Apparatus for producing yarn of increased bulk having convolutions spaced at intervals along the length of the yarn which comprises a source of yarn having a twist of several turns per inch therein, an air jet, a winder type collecting device, means to pass the twisted yarn linearly to the air jet, pneumatic means to impinge air currents on.the yarn during passage through the jet,

meansto withdraw the yarn from the jet at a linear 6 speed at least 5% lower than the input speed, and means References Cited in the file of this patent to change the direction of travel of the yatn adjacent the UNITED STATES PATENTS exlt end of the et, said wlnder devlce being capable 0L collecting the bulked yarn at a speed independent of the 1'703898 Payne 1929 final twist therein and without imparting additional twist 5 2'783609 Bree 1957 in the yarn. 

